FACIT 2008 Special, specialized catalog of the Nordic countries. 6 ¾ by 9 ½ inches, 912 pages, perfect bound, Facit Förlags, Västerås, Sweden, 2007. ISBN 91-86564-62-5, $69 plus postage from Jay Smith & Associates, Box 650, Snow Camp NC 27349-0650.

This specialized catalog continues to be an excellent reference for the issues of Åland, Danish West Indies, Denmark, Faroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Among the comprehensive Finland listings are the occupied areas of East Karelia and North Ingermanland. The Denmark section includes Schleswig.

New this year is a nicely detailed section on postal stationery of Sweden thanks to that country’s stationery expert Lennart Daun. Also new are expanding listings of the Í GILDI overprint varieties of Iceland, thanks to Ellis Glatt who has informed the catalog committee of important additions. Glatt has written extensively about these stamps in the Scandinavian Collectors Club journal The Posthorn.

Illustrations throughout are mostly in color. In addition to the stamp listings for each country there is information about the Frama labels, stamp booklets, year sets, and first day covers. Many of the country listings include discussions of cancellations as well.

Collectors of the Scandinvian areas eagerly look forward to each year’s new FACIT Special, and the 2008 edition maintains the high quality of this important reference of Nordic philately.

Alan Warren